This is Our World
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: "The invention we are unveiling today will change the way you look at the world itself. Something beyond your expectations – no, beyond your very dreams. Today, Adriaan Baeten and Siblings proudly present: Icarus 1.0." (Steampunk AU where Netherlands is an inventor with his siblings as assistants.) Written for Hetalia Gen Secret Santa.


**_Written as a gift fic for kuzeykirkland for the 2016 Hetalia Gen Secret Santa._** ** _Chosen prompt: Steampunk world (I really had a lot of fun with this!)_**

 ** _As many of the characters do not have official human names, here's a quick run-through of all the names used in this story, with credits to kuzeykirkland's list of preferred human names:_**

 ** _Adriaan (Netherlands), Anri (Belgium) and Luca (Luxembourg) Baeten – siblings_**

 ** _Logan (Australia), Oscar (Hutt River) and Charlotte (Wy) Cooper – siblings_**

 ** _Arthur Kirland (England) and Arjun Kapur-Kirkland (India) – stepsiblings_**

 ** _Peter (Sealand) and Lars (Ladonia) Oxenstjärna – adopted siblings_**

 ** _I really hope you'll like it!_**

* * *

"Broer, Broer! Which one should I wear?" Anri brandished two dresses in front of his nose, one with a forest-green velvet overcoat overlaying ruffled cream lace skirt, the other a black corset dress over a long-sleeved blue satin blouse.

Adriaan barely glanced up. "The one on the left."

Luca burst into the room, blonde hair dishevelled. "Has anyone seen my goggles?"

"On the dining table."

The younger man snatched it up. "Thanks, Broer!"

Anri blinked at the clothes in her hands, then whirled back around. "Wait, your left or my left!?"

"Whichever you want."

" _Broer_ – Ahh! Luca, why are you wearing my scarf!?"

"Just lend it to me for today!"

"I wanted to wear it, give it back to me!"

"Noooo!"

"Come back here, Luca!"

"I like the green one!"

"Don't change the topic!"

Adriaan placidly screwed shut another plate as he ran a final check over the miniature steam engine on his worktable, ignoring the chaos that continued to erupt around him. It quietened down as Luca dashed into the next room with Anri in pursuit, leaving him to his peace as he methodologically checked through each part, the sense of time blurring.

"Broer, we're ready." He looked up.

It seemed that Anri had decided to take Luca's suggestion after all, choosing to wear the forest green dress matched with knee-high leather boots, hair slightly curled and held back with a green ribbon. Luca had clearly won out on the scarf issue as well, which really was the case most of the time with the youngest of their family. He had knotted the turquoise-coloured square of silk jauntily around his neck, lending a bit of colour to the simple white shirt and tan vest ensemble he wore.

Adriaan gave the external shell of the contraption a final polish before handing the bronze-plated jet pack to Luca, who took it with a grin and slung it across his back. Anri helped him tighten the attached crisscrossing leather belts that would secure the pack to his body while in use, while Adriaan went over a final round of safety instructions.

"…remember, the lever on the side is the emergency stop and if anything feels off, stop the demonstration immediately."

"Got it, broer. We've tested this a thousand times already, have more faith in your own work. And in me, I'm your little brother, after all. We're going to amaze the crowd today."

Anri grinned, stepping back. "Just like every other time."

"Because Broer is best of the best!"

Adriaan's lips quirked upwards as his siblings beamed at him. Shaking his head fondly, he picked up his tool case and headed for the door. "Let's go."

* * *

"Ahh! Over there! It says the Baeten Siblings' demonstration is starting soon! Come on, come on! If we go now we should be able to get a good spot!"

"You're so slow, Oscar!"

"You're one to talk when Logan is carrying you, Charlotte! I'd like to see you get down and walk in this crowd."

Logan just laughed as his siblings squabbled, catching his younger brother's hand in his and tugging him along. "Hey, I see a free spot over there!"

The two boys darted through the crowd, their little sister perched on Logan's shoulders. They passed a pair of well-dressed gentlemen, who stood out not only because of their fine dress but also the striking difference in their colouring – one blond and pale and the other dark with black hair.

The blond-haired nobleman's expression had turned intrigued upon overhearing the children's excitement. "Ah, Baeten's show. Perfect, it seems that we have arrived at the best time. I'd been meaning to show you his work. Shall we head there as well?"

Arjun looked up from the printed brochure he held, which detailed the exhibitors and demonstrations at the day's inventors' fair. "Baeten?"

Arthur flipped through his own brochure until he found the page showing a photo of the three Baeten siblings standing side by side, tapping a finger to indicate the tallest man.

"Adriaan Baeten. Genius inventor, particularly known for his specialty in aerial crafts. Every now and then, he and his siblings like to put on a public demonstration to showcase his latest work. He has been commissioned in the past to draw schematics for government airships, all which are undeniably brilliant, but that's nothing compared to his hand-crafted devices which he releases to a private collector's market in limited numbers. Some would say that he charges exorbitant prices for them, but he's hardly lacking in buyers even so. I've purchased one of his works before myself, you've likely seen it. A frivolity, really, a small functional steam-powered airplane model for Alfred's twelfth birthday last year."

Arjun chuckled, remembering the star-struck look on his young nephew's face when Arthur had unveiled his present. "Ah yes, he was in raptures about it, wasn't he? I remember being impressed at how realistic it was for a scaled model."

"Functionally it's extremely well-made as well; the boy takes it out to play every single day and its movements are still as smooth as the day I bought it."

A hush fell over the gathered spectators as Anri Baeten stepped onto the wooden crate that formed a makeshift stage. Her brother stood a short distance away with his arms crossed and toolbox set beside his feet. She smiled winningly at the crowd, throwing out her arms in greeting.

"Welcome one, welcome all! I see some familiar faces here, but for those of you who don't know, I'm Anri Baeten and this is my brother Adriaan whose works you will be seeing today! Now, if I could ask you to stand outside the circle of rope we've put out on the floor – so please just step back until you're behind the line, we'll be needing that bit of extra space for this demonstration…"

* * *

"Here we go." Luca scaled nimbly up the ladder to the flat rooftop of the building they had selected. A slight breeze ruffled his hair as he reached the top, making him smile. "Nice wind today."

Stretching out to loosen his muscles, he headed for the edge of the roof only to find that he wasn't alone. Luca blinked.

Two pairs of large blue eyes stared back at him.

"Are you here to watch the fair too, mister?" one of the boys piped up.

Smiling, Luca squatted down next to where the two children were sitting with their legs dangling over the side. "I'm doing a demonstration for the fair, actually."

Both boys lit up. "Our pappa also does demonstrations in the fair! He's an inventor, he makes really cool stuff!"

"Are you an inventor too?"

"I'm not, but my big brother is. I help him out sometimes though."

If possible, the sparkle in the two boys' eyes grew brighter. "Pappa lets us help sometimes too! We find his tools and parts for him!"

"I'm going to be a great inventor when I grow up, just like Pappa!"

"Me too!"

"In that case, I look forward to seeing you two again one day at an inventors' fair! I'm Luca, what are your names?"

"I'm Peter!"

"I'm Lars!"

"Well it's nice to meet the both of you."

From his vantage point Luca saw his sister step onto the wooden box she liked to use as a makeshift stage, a sign that the show was starting. He stood, the boys' gazes following him.

"I believe that's my cue, then."

With practiced ease he tugged on the first short cord to power up the steam engine, followed the second longer one that would unfurl the wings into their full glory, each metal-wrought feather shifting flawlessly into place. He heard gasps from the boys even over the whirr of the engine. Luca winked at them before pulling down his flight goggles.

It was time to fly.

* * *

"Have you ever watched a bird fly and envied it for its freedom? Wondered what it would be like to fly, not on an airship, but instead soaring through the air like an eagle, only the clouds under your feet?" Anri could hear the buzzing of the crowd – expectant, intrigued, incredulous as the implications of her words set in, and she grinned. "Today, we will revolutionise the very idea of flight. We will show you something beyond your expectations – no, beyond your very _dreams_. Today, Adriaan Baeten and Siblings proudly present the world premiere of…" Anri threw one hand up towards the air and as if hypnotized the audience's gaze followed it.

"Icarus 1.0."

Right on cue a winged shadow swooped past, dramatically silhouetted against the clear sky.

Gasps echoed throughout the crowd.

"A _personal_ flight system," Arthur breathed, unable to tear his eyes off the winged figure gracefully soaring through the air. "This… This is revolutionary. There's never been anything even close to this before. That level of control, the way the wings move independently, the smoothness of the glide…" He uttered a startled laugh. "He never fails to go beyond my expectations each and every time."

Anri continued to speak, every word fuelling the crowd. "The wings are powered by a top-of-the-line hand-crafted mini steam engine – small, compact and less than a quarter of the weight of the lightest commercial aerial steam engine that you get in the market. Each feather is made from titanium alloy, making it extremely strong and heat-resistant, while at the same time being light enough for flight. All movements are controlled by the user through a series of innovative pulley systems, each which shift the wings in a variety of ways to allow for complex manoeuvers."

Luca performed a somersault in the air as she spoke, eliciting 'ooh's and 'aah's from the audience.

"In the case of adverse wind conditions, a secondary jet propulsion system can be activated for better control and if necessary, to facilitate an emergency landing. Regular landings are facilitated by a pulley system that brings a set of plates up to vertical position, making use of wind resistance to reduce speed and allow for a gentle stop."

Above, Luca slowly spiralled down to ground level before finally touching the ground in a light jog to work off the remaining momentum. At Adriaan's signal, Luca flipped the lever at the base of the pack that would fold the wings back into its compact frame. It elicited mixed reactions from the crowd, some fascinated by the efficient mechanism while others were disappointed that the wings had folded away from sight. Regardless, thunderous applause soon spread throughout the crowd, the volume heightening with every second.

Both of them looked over at their big brother. He gave them a faint smile and a nod of approval that had them both beaming as they turned to exchange triumphant glances. Heady with the reception they had received, Anri grabbed both of her brothers' hands, bowing in response to the audience's cheers.

"Success!" she gasped out as they straightened together.

"Did you even doubt it?" Luca shot back with a laugh.

Anri grinned. "Of course not!"

The two younger siblings shared identical gleeful smirks as their brother looked on with fond exasperation. "Because Broer is the absolute best!"


End file.
